


Curses and Blessings

by doomitup



Category: Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27034285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doomitup/pseuds/doomitup
Summary: Callia has escaped a cruel fate only to put herself in even crueler hands. Who knew that a deal with a Daedric Prince would end poorly?
Relationships: Sotha Sil/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	Curses and Blessings

Dust filled her nose, resulting in more than one sneeze. Mushrooms glowed a faint path deeper into the cave, and having no better alternative, she began a long trek. Perhaps, she mused, I should have worn better shoes. Desperation had robbed her of common sense, it seemed. It had given her the strength to journey this far, however, so who was she to complain? Besides, it was not as if she had many pairs of shoes to waste. For her, better shoes were just shoes that hadn’t been worn by more than three people beforehand. If the current pair got too water-logged, she would be forced to go barefooted. As nice as having shoes was, life was too short to deal with cold, soaked feet for long periods of time. 

The deeper she went into the cave, the more brick and stone she discovered. Maybe this had not been a wild guar chase, after all. She picked up speed, sliding along moss-slick rock. The echo of her footsteps made for an eerie companion, so she hoped that no wild creatures or malevolent forces lurked. Even if some did, she had no way to defend herself. With that thought, her steps slowed. Why use up valuable energy when she didn’t know how far she had left to go? Though she had begun to find scrolls and discarded candles, there still was no solid evidence of what she sought. 

She paused for a moment, her calves burning from the exertion. It had been a few days since she had eaten, and even longer since she had reason to walk so much. What few coins she had went to a replenishing water flask. At the time, it seemed the most practical option, and the logical part of her knew it had been the right option, but convincing the ache of her stomach took more than reason. It cried for something solid, or at the very least, something warm. As hard as her life had been, others had it worse, and so she hadn’t been able to bring herself to waste money on a hot meal. No matter how sweet the baked apples smelled nor how tempting the fishy sticks sizzled, water would get her to her destination. If nothing else, the water would keep her alive long enough to spend your last few days her own person. 

It was time to push on, as much as she didn’t like it. She gritted her teeth against a whimper. While she wasn’t sure if anyone was listening to her struggle through the cave, it felt wrong to show signs of weakness if it could be helped. 

She walked, more than she had walked in years. Even when her legs had threatened to give out, she pushed on. When her legs did give out, she crawled. Dry sobs tore from her throat as the unforgiving stone bit and pricked at her palms and knees. If she didn’t make it soon, she feared she may collapse and die, for she certainly would not have the strength to make the trip back to the mouth of the cave. With no sun marking the passage of time, she could only make guesses as to how long she had been in there, but it didn’t matter. Her bones knew they had found their resting place if she failed. 

Then she stopped. Not because she wanted to, but because she had run into something tall and hard. Her eyes squinted in the poor light. This time when she let out a sob, it was in relief. Horns stretched above her, along with a staff. The tall, hard thing she had run into was the feet of a Prince and his dog. 

Finally, she had made it to an old shrine of Clavicus Vile. Gods knew if he would listen, but she had waited until the first of Starfall and had worked on her wish for a year. Though she never learned how to properly summon the Prince, she hoped the right combination of words would entice him. 

With shaking hands, she gulped several mouthfuls of water, as greedy as a newborn kitten suckling at its mother for the first time. The cool liquid eased the spareness of her throat. She only stopped when the need for air outweighed the pleasure of no longer being thirsty. Gasps reverberated off the high walls, gradually tapering into pants, then calm breaths. It was then that she bowed her head and clasped her hands. 

“Prince of bargains, I implore you to-”

“Yes, yes, what do you want, simpering mortal?” a booming voice interrupted. “I’m guessing some riches, given the state of you. How boring. How dreadfully dull. Now get on with it. The sooner you spit it out, the sooner I can get back to my work.” 

It felt as if her heart was attempting to escape through her mouth. For all her hopes and efforts, she didn’t truly think such a powerful entity would deem her worth its time. 

“I-I wish to make a deal.” 

If a statue could roll its eyes, she was certain this one would. “That’s why I’m here. Do you think you could say something not so painfully obvious?” Clavicus snapped. 

“I wish to go far away from here,” she slowly found her voice. “I wish to be someplace with no chance of being recognized or taken back. A place where I won’t go hungry or be punished for the tiniest mistake. Please, I beg you, I don’t want to be here.” 

It could have been her imagination, but she thought an edge of pity softened his voice a fraction. “Then you want me to kill you? Because short of that, little mortal, there are very few places, indeed, on Nirn that meet those lofty requirements.” 

Her lip trembled as her head dipped lower. “If that is your will, Clavicus Vile, I will accept it.” 

“Bah! That’s no fun. What an annoying thing you are. Not to mention, I get nothing out of it. I kill mortals all the time. No deal, little mortal. Try again when you can impress me.” 

“No!” she wailed, beating a fist against the ground. “Please! I will do anything! Name your price, I will only too gladly pay it!” 

There was such silence, she had begun to suspect that he had left her alone to die in the cave. Something inside her broke. She screamed, so loud and so hard, it felt as if her vocal cords would rip. She scratched and punched stone to the point of bleeding. 

Then came the hysterical laughter. Her heart beat wildly as she stared up at the statue. With the darkness, she couldn’t make out the top of the cave, so it seemed as if it stretched on forever. Save for the glowing mushrooms, she felt surrounded by blackness. She was so tiny, so alone, so forgettable. The ground disappeared, along with the walls and the ceiling. She was nothing. 

That thought made the laughter stop. Her wide eyes stared sightlessly at the statue still. It kept her anchored. The last bit of her sanity clung to it. She didn’t want to die. Her entire being had been pinned on the hope that if she managed to make a bargain, she would finally begin to live. How cruel, how fickle was the whims of a Daedric Prince. 

“Well now, I hardly think that’s an appropriate reaction.” 

“You’re here?” she blurted, eyes swimming with tears. 

A sigh. “Yes, little mortal. Luckily for you, I am willing to overlook your innate dullness. Luckily for you… I have a favor to ask. Well, I say favor. I mean a bargain. I can bring you to such a place. I can’t say it will be an easy life, oh no, but I’m sure you won’t be recognized.” 

Her breaths became ragged. Quickly, she swiped bloodied hands across her cheeks, mixing red with the tears. “I will do it, Prince. Only say the price and I will fulfil it to the best of my ability.” 

“Reassuring,” he grumbled. “Relying on a pathetic thing like you to do my handiwork. I suppose beggars can’t be choosers, though. Well you would know that, wouldn’t you? Fine. These are my terms: as much as you managed to annoy me, I want you to deliver an experience ten times worse to an old enemy of mine. I want you to deter his work in whatever way you can.” 

She considered his words, trying to find some hidden, horrible meaning. As naive as she was to most of the world, she knew a Prince would try to get the better -if not sadistic- end of the bargain. Maybe it was the fatigue or lack of nutrition or just plain desperation, but she could find no trap in his words. 

Just to make sure, however, she asked, “Is that all you ask? To annoy and slow down this person’s work?” 

Clavicus Vile clicked his tongue. “If that’s too much for you to handle, then go throw a temper tantrum someplace else. One was enough. If you do decide on accepting, there should be an artifact in a pot here. It originally was made for an old worshipper of mine who never wished to be parted from her love’s side. If she took it off the ring, she would die instantly. If they were ever more than a room apart, it would burn her wife as if on fire. Do you understand what I’m saying, mortal? Your soul belongs to me as soon as you agree, and it will be mine a lot sooner if you take off that ring.”

Her eyes grew wide. This must be important if he was telling her the terms and conditions of the ring. She wanted to inquire further, but worried she would push her luck if she tried prying more information than he was willing to give. Knowing this much seemed like the first stroke of good fortune she had in years, so maybe this was the sign of more blessings to come. 

Before she could think too much, her fingers began overturning the broken pots, shifting through the shards, until something metal clinked and she held it up to the glowing mushrooms. It was a ring, no doubt, but was it the correct ring? 

“How will it connect me to this person? I have no one I love.” 

Thankfully, this question didn’t anger Clavicus -at least, not more so than usual. “Because, mortal, I’m going to enchant it again to match his personal magicka. He doesn’t know it, but I’ve kept quite a few tabs on him than he’d like since we last encountered each other. I wish I could see the look on his face, but I’ll be content with knowing he’s going to be annoyed for the rest of your mortal existence.” 

She slid the ring onto her right ring finger. “I accept your bargain.” 

His cackle sent shivers down her spine. “So be it, little mortal! I will open a portal to his current location. After I enchant the ring, walk through it and begin your new life, however long it may be!” 

The room lit up with magic, blinding her for a few moments until her eyes adjusted. The ring felt warm, like it was humming with energy other than her own. As much as she wanted this, she lingered for a minute. It had been some time since she had looked at her reflection. Where she came from, she was used to not looking good or decent. What would people say when they saw her? 

It didn’t matter. She had made her decision. She didn’t have enough pride to care where she ended up, so long as no one tried to hurt her. The thought of not fearing for her safety and being able to take care of her appearance took some of the weight off of her soul.

So she took a breath -her first real breath in years- and stepped through the portal.


End file.
